This famous soprano aria opens Act II, after Butterfly, the young Japanese Geisha girl, has married her American admirer Pinkerton in Act I. It establishes that Butterfly has now been abandoned by Pinkerton, but still clings to the hope that he will come back to her. The oppressive atmosphere of the house, which penniless Butterfly now rarely leaves, is conjured by Puccini's unique sound world: two flutes open the act, playing in unison. Butterfly entreats her maid to have faith, and reassures her that Pinkerton will return to save them.

She sings of keeping watch for his boat, secure in the knowledge that 'one beautiful day' (un bel dì), he will return. She'll see a puff of smoke on the far horizon, she says, and his ship will appear. This is indeed what is about to happen, but Butterfly's longed-for beautiful day will prove to be her last, as the tragically soaring melodies of this aria hint.

One beautiful day, we’ll see a plume of smoke on the far edge of the sea.And then a boat will appear.

Then a white ship will come into the port, and sound its horn. Do you see it? He is coming! I won’t go down to meet him, not I. I’ll wait here on the hill and wait and wait a long time and I won’t mind the wait at all. And out of the crowd a man will set off on his own, a little speck climbing the hill.

Who will it be? Who will it be? And how will he appear? What will he say? What will he say?

He’ll call out ‘Butterfly’ from far away. But I won’t answer, I’ll hide.

Just to tease him a little, just to save myself from dying at our first meeting, and he, a little troubled, will call out, will call out 'my dear little wife, sweet verbena blossom.' The names he called me when we first met.

All this will happen, I promise you. Don’t worry; I am very sure that he will come.

Libretto: Luigi Illica (1857-1919) and Giuseppe Giacosa (1847-1906). Giacosa was a poet, playwright and librettist. He collaborated with the writer Luigi Illica on the librettos for three of Puccini’s most popular operas: La bohème, ToscaandMadama Butterfly.